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Archive: September 2016

I was lucky in some ways. Before I arrived in the Tuna Fields, my nerves had been stretched taut many times. I was -and am- a determined, pretty cool, methodical thinker under extreme stress. But lest this sound like a vain boast, or foolish self congratulation, let me quickly add my ability to cope is due to (all too frequent) practice. And let me also frankly confess to having been -too often- scared to death. When you think you are a dead man, your body reacts. Afterward, people who see your face, without a word being spoken, can often tell. It's in the pallor of the skin, the gray, and in the eyes, hollow, sunken, haunted, bloodshot, and staring. Eyes that have seen.... the approaching shadow. [Read More...]

Looks like the FAA regulation of the drone industry is ramping up. The new FAR Part 107 went live the end of August, and the new Drone Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting September 16th. [Read More...]

The Height/Velocity Diagram indicates the combination of height above ground and air speed that should be avoided due to safety concerns related to emergency landings. For new helicopter pilots, the height-velocity (H/V) diagram can be confusing. From one Instructor to another, the understanding of the H/V diagram may differ, which will affect how the subject is taught. Even when referring to the FAA’s Helicopter Flying Handbook, the entire subject is covered in only two pages (FAA H-8083-21A Chapter 11 Pg. 11-8 & 11-9). [Read More...]

I have a professional Facebook page that deals solely with crew resource management and helicopter safety issues. I hope I don’t disappoint visitors to my page if they don’t see pictures of my breakfast, lunch, or dinner, my cat, dog or car or learn that I am in a departure lounge somewhere awaiting my flight home. I ‘built’ my Facebook page for one purpose—as a tool to keep CRM and helicopter safety foremost in air crew member’s minds. [Read More...]